Friend of mine has reached a perfect financial storm, got fired and went to a dispatch ALT company who pays the standard “as little as we possibly fucking can” in the lean months.
Then she had an accident on her bike, broke her cheekbone and has been unable to work.
She is unable to pay her rent. This has never been an issue for me so I’ve never researched what you do when that happens. Her landlord is sending threatening letters. I have heard in passing that a tenant actually has more rights than a landlord in Japan, but I’m simply ignorant and want to help my friend get through this without becoming homeless.
9 comments
The fastest way to solve this would be paying rent, I don’t mean this in a bad way, but it’s probably best to contact the landlord and let them know what’s going on. Can her family or you as a friend temporarily help her out? Even paying a bit as a gesture of good will is better then paying nothing and ignoring the letters.
Tenants are much stronger than landlords in Japan. Right to housing is extremely protected and landlords cannot force their tenants to leave easily. Your friend will be able to live in her apartment for 2 – 3 months without paying(of course, this is really dishonest but it’s possible).
Is she enrolled in Shakai Hoken? (Since October 2022, She should be as even the shittiest of ALT dispatch companies could no longer exploit that loop hole).
If so then she should be able to get 67% of her average base salary from after the 3rd consecutive day off work due to sickness. This money is from the government, not from her employer.
I think, she should go and talk to her landlord. Don’t try to hide, it just makes things worse, and she may end up in front of a judge. Trying to negotiate a payment plan to get the issue solved properly and amicably is likely the way of least resistance.
No bicycle insurance?
Let her come live with you for a bit
She should go to city hall and see if there is any support. In my city there is a one time rent subsidy you can apply for, under specific conditions, through the welfare division
As long as she is making even partial payments on the rent, eviction proceedings won’t make headway. She needs to go 6 months without paying anything before it will start to make headway in court, and even then, partial payments can reset the clock.
> she had an accident on her bike, broke her cheekbone and has been unable to work.
She should be on shakai hoken, and eligible for 2/3 of her salary from the 4th day of being unable to work. She can apply directly to the insurer (listed on her insurance card). If she’s on NHI this doesn’t apply, but she shouldn’t be, the loophole closed about a year and a half back.
Also: If this accident happened while she was commuting to or from work, then it’s a workman’s comp issue, and she’s eligible for full coverage of the medical costs among other benefits.
Her employer should already have informed her of this, but ALT dispatches are scumbags and never do.
I’ve seen other comments about timescales, but it is actually illegal to force someone jnto homelessness in Japan, and evicting someone can only be physically done SIX MONTHS after notice of eviction. I’m not xondoning it, I only know this from Subletting (with consent). Your friend is legally safe for a while, but paying rent is always a solution prior to any outcome.